The Prince of Dolls
by irishgirl1395
Summary: this is sorta a crossover between Mercedes Lackey's Beauty and the Werewolf and WB's Nutcracker Prince. Kyrie is Clara and Gunther is the Nutcracker. I own nothing of anything to do with the original ballet, book, Warner Bros or Mrs. Lackey's characters!
1. Prologue and Christmas Eve

Prologue:

 _Five years ago, Godmother Elena had to turn a certain Kingdom's Royal Family into mice for what they did to their own people. As the only Godmother of that kingdom, she had no other choice. But she fears that the banished former royals have already broken the curse put upon them. None have heard about them from the new King of that Kingdom, and all the Godmothers worry they may be in the town near where Duchess Isabella and Duke Sebastian of Redbuck Manor reside. They can only hope it is young Kyrie who is the one to help the equally young Gunther, who was turned into a Nutcracker two years after Elena had turned the former royal family into mice. And all pray that Kyrie succeeds._

Chapter 1-Christmas Eve (Drosselmeier's POV):

After telling Godmother Elena about my nephew, I set to work on her very old grandfather clock. _Seems this thing is older than me by about twenty years…oh, who am I kidding? At least thirty years older._ I think as I take out the old, worn out gear that needed replacing and install the new one that I had ordered. I then do what I usually do with worn-out clocks such as these; I shine it up, reset the springs, set it to the correct time and make sure everything works right.

"Phew! Finally done!" I wipe my forehead free of sweat as I climb down the step stool.

"Oh! You _are_ as good as people say you are!" I turn and bow slightly to the Godmother. She gives me a box and a bag of coins after I rise. "Go back to town, I'm sure that there are people who need your assistance. And make sure you do _not_ open the box until you give it to Kyrie. She will know when to open it." She sends me through a portal to my shop. After putting away the coins, I place the box under the toy castle I had made for Duke Sebastian's children. _I surely hope that Miss Kyrie isn't too old for toys, otherwise Günter will be a Nutcracker forever._ I think as one of the City Guards and his son come up to my shop door and knock. I open the door and usher them in; it is so cold out that even the horses needed to be covered to prevent getting sick.

"Ragnar, what can this humble clock and toy maker do for you?" he nudges his son, and the young boy holds up a half broken toy solider.

"Can you fix him?" the simple question, spoken with such maturity for a seven year old, almost makes me laugh. But I take the toy and examine it.

"Hmm, I _can_ but it will be a long while. If I work on him after the upcoming holiday, maybe before the New Year. I don't have any other pressing matters until after the New Year celebration anyway. Is that alright?" I look at the boy and he nods. Ragnar and I discuss the cost while his son looks around at the clocks. When they leave, I start the magic spell to transport the toy castle, my nephew and myself to the entrance of Redbuck Manor's Great Hall.

Earlier, Kyrie's POV:

After finally getting Mom and Dad to let me deliver my presents to my friends in town, I go to the stables to saddle up my mare, Hona. But she is already saddled with my younger brother's horse, who I call Spitfire for his personality, our governess, Miss Elza and her mule. I still wonder why Miss Elza rides a mule instead of a horse. After I put the gifts in Hona's saddle bags, I get on her with little help from the stable hands and wait for Joshua. As usual, I hear my brother before I see him. "Finally! I get to go to town before the holidays end! Oh, hey sis."

"We must hurry if we are to be back in time for the party." Miss Elza says as I merely shake my head at Joshua. He gets on Spitfire, and then we ride towards the town. The ride to town is silent, but once we are near the gate, Joshua shouts to the guards at top of the gate, asking where Ragnar is.

"Down here!" I laugh a little as I pull out two gift boxes from the nearest saddlebag. "You didn't have to, Miss Kyrie!" I shake my head and give them to Ragnar.

"I wanted to, and the small box is for you to share with the other guards. Thyme's special cookies." He almost drools, but accepts the gifts. "The bigger one is for your wife, as a thank-you for teaching me how to crochet." He nods before letting the three of us through the gate. We head to the town stables, then to my best friend's house and then after all the presents are delivered, we go to Grandpa's house. One of his servants meets us at the door; we go in quickly, for the cold wind hasn't let up since we left the Manor.

"KYRIE!" I hear my step-aunts Pearl and Amber scream before they grab me in a bear hug. "It's been too long! Wait till you see your presents!" they let go of me and the three of us walk into the main room of Grandpa's grand house. Immediately, I see a ball of fur next to a dress box with my name pinned onto it. _Joy. Hopefully Grandma Genevieve didn't overdo it this year._ I think as I walk over to the dress box and ball of fur. The ball of fur suddenly stands, and I can feel my eyes widening as the tiny wolf cub opens its jaws, yawning.

"I was hoping she wouldn't wake until you all were back at the Manor." Grandpa says as I near the cub. "I found her in the forest with her dead mother on the last minor hunt before the holiday. I hope you can welcome her into your family and tame her." I carefully reach my hand out for the cub to sniff me. She does so and then, surprising even me, she rubs her head against my hand. I tentatively scratch her head and her eyelids droop in pure bliss. I notice then that her fur is a shade of red mixed with a shade of copper. "She's been given a harmless sleeping potion, so she'll be alright until later tonight or dawn tomorrow." I gather up the cub into my arms, Miss Elza gathers up the gifts and the three of us go back out into the cold. I put the edge of my cloak around the now sleeping wolf cub before all of us walk quickly back to the town stables.


	2. Getting Ready for the Party

Chapter 2-Getting Ready for the Party

When we finally are inside the gate to Redbuck Manor, I hand over Hona's reigns to the nearest stable boy and hurry inside to tell Mother and Father the news and to get Penny, the name I gave my wolf cub, warmer than I can make her. Penny is still asleep when I enter the Great Hall of Redbuck Manor, which is a small blessing, for my kitten Pavia comes up to me as soon as I am in the Hall.

"Pavia, we have a new family member!" I fold back my cloak, which I had taken off and wrapped Penny in the warm material, revealing her to my cat. She sniffs Penny's nose, then mews. _Good thing Pavia is still a young cat; otherwise they'd never get along!_ I think as I move away from Pavia and towards the nearest fireplace. She follows me and I spot Verte, one of the more-educated servants, coming from the door leading to the kitchens.

"You have brought a WOLF CUB into the Manor!" he exclaims, after coming closer, loud enough for Father to hear him in his tower workroom.

"Grandpa Henri gave her to me as part of my Christmas present. I will make sure she gets tamed." His face visibly relaxes, but Father and Mother come in through the same door a few minutes later. I repeat what I'd said to Verte to them, and though Father has a stern look in his eyes, he agrees with Mother to let me keep Penny. Then, Joshua and Miss Elza come in from outside and Joshua hurries over to the live Christmas tree we have and places his present from Grandpa Henri under it. Our older sister, Laura, comes soon after I put the dress box under the tree and Miss Elza puts Laura's presents under the tree as well.

"Is it time to light the tree, Father? I heard shouting…Oh!" she then notices Penny. "Why on Earth is that here?" this makes me so mad I start to see red. But, I don't take out my anger on Laura, instead, I take Penny into my arms again and head up to my corridor to change for the party. Sapphire, Mother's old maid and now Joshua's and I's, meets me at the top of the stairs leading to the corridor.

"Are you alright?" she asks when she looks at me.

"No, but let's talk in my room." We enter my bedroom, which used to be Mother's, and I lay Penny down before the fire while Sapphire lights it up. I sigh loudly before explaining what happened at Grandpa's house and downstairs.

"Seems to me like Laura needs another lesson in manners. She shouldn't have said that. I know she's curious, but sometimes, she acts like young master Joshua." This makes me laugh and I feel my anger fading. "Now, you get dressed, and call me in when you are finished. I will do your hair today." She exits the room, but not before putting the lamps on and shutting the curtains.

I go to my closet and take out the dress that Mother, Sapphire and I could all agree on. It has a forest green over-gown, a light green under-gown, a bodice that matches the over-gown, ruffled pantaloons and stockings that match the under-gown. There were no crinolines, and I get into the dress with no help and little trouble. Then, I put my old dancing slippers on, these Father had made for me when he saw me dancing in my regular shoes at a Wool Guild Ball.

I love to dance, but proper dances are sometime too formal for me, but Laura loves them. I prefer ballet, Laura likes waltzing and other proper dances. Those dances make me feel like I am doing a magic spell; but some of the country dances, like the Running Set, I really love to dance and with a partner.

I shake my head to bring myself back to the present and open my bedroom door to let Sapphire know that I am dressed. She comes in a few minutes later and puts my straight brown hair into two French braids. "There, you'll do, just don't take them out until you start to fall asleep!" I giggle at her seriousness; I did take them out once before supper two summers ago, and a few weeks passed before my hair became straight again.

"I won't, I promise not to until I start to fall asleep. Have they started to light the tree yet?"

"No, and what shall we do with…?" she points to Penny, who is still asleep. I ponder this for a few moments.

"If someone can watch Penny in the old playroom, that'll work. I doubt Father will let me take her to the party." Sapphire nods and we take Penny to the old playroom that is just two doors away from my set of rooms. "Maybe one of the stable boys?"

"No," Sapphire disagrees, "I think that would be a very bad idea; they don't share quarters with the staff. They'll spread rumors. Hmm…I think Thyme wouldn't mind if Lavender and her daughter Damiana left the kitchen for one night. They could keep an eye on Penny while the guests are here. When you are ready to retire, they can go back to the kitchen." I nod my head in agreement and wait in the room with Penny while she goes to the kitchen to check with Thyme.

"We must keep this quiet among the guests, if even one finds out, rumors will spread. Do you understand this Damiana?" I hear Lavender's voice from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Mama. I understand. Am I allowed to pet her?" I open the door as the seven year old speaks.

"Let her get used to your scent first; hold your hand out to her nose but don't get too close. When and if she doesn't make a hostile move, you may." The girl nearly squeals, but holds it down. "Her name is Penny and Damiana, if she misbehaves, come down right away and find me." She nods earnestly, they enter the room and I leave after patting Penny on the head one last time. Then, I hurry downstairs to help light the candles on the tree.


	3. Opening Presents

Chapter 3-Opening Presents

"You almost lit the tree up! Be careful, Joshua!" I hear Mother say as I enter the Great Hall. I quell a giggle and take a waxed stick to light the last candles up. Father lights it for me and I pass the small flame onto three candles before blowing it out.

"Can we open one of our presents now, Father?" Joshua asks after he lights up the last candle. Father nods, Laura goes to her pile of presents and picks up the first box. Joshua grabs the present from Grandpa Henri; I sit next to my pile while Pavia comes up and sits in my lap. I scratch her head while everyone looks at me expectantly.

"I already have one of my presents." I reply logically.

"You may have two others, since the cub wasn't wrapped up. What did you name her?" I grab the nearest box with the hand that isn't petting Pavia.

"Penny, for the color of her coat." I open the box after gently pushing the year-old cat off my lap. "She is very pretty. Thank you, Mother, Father." I pull out the doll as I speak. She has curly black hair and is wearing a blue-and-black-striped dress with blue shoes. I grab another box, and open it to reveal a pair of brand-new dancing slippers. They are brown with embroidered green leaves. "OH! Thank you so much!" I immediately switch shoes.

"Oh, Mother, Father! It's beautiful! I love it!" I look over at Laura and see her holding up a dark rose pink dress with a brown sash going from the right shoulder to the waist, where it wraps around. She takes it over to the mirror and holds it up to herself. I turn my head back to the doll, who I haven't yet named, while she announces she's gonna put it on.

"TOY SOLDIERS! This is the best present I've gotten from Grandpa in a while!" Joshua says as he opens the box. "There are even cannons and cannonballs! And they're real!" he tests one cannon out and Pavia chases the cannonball across the room. I laugh as I stand to put Tealea in the toy cabinet that is near the Christmas tree. Just as I'm about to put her in, Laura sweeps into the room wearing her new dress.

"Well, what do you think? How do I look?" she says as I walk back.

"It fits you perfectly." Mother says.

"Laura, you look just like a princess!" Father says as she twirls around. I mimic her behind her back, but Joshua gives me away by laughing.

"You're still such a child Kyrie. And you shouldn't act like that! You are almost fourteen!"

"Laura, that's enough." Father says to her and Verte comes in, announcing that the first guests have arrived. "Laura, come with us to greet them. And Joshua, try to stay out of trouble this year!" but my brother doesn't hear a word; he's too busy with his new toy soldiers. Father sighs, Mother takes his arm and they leave the room.


	4. Party Time!

Chapter 4-Party Time!

As the guests start to enter the Great Hall, I retreat to the dining room to oversee the dishes and the servants putting them out. But, to my dismay, everything is out already and still hot. Sighing, I go back to the Great Hall and sit in one of the chairs by the fire. After a few minutes, I notice that Pavia is nowhere to be seen. I look around, place Tealea on the small table next to the chair I am sitting in and get up to look for her. I hear mewing over the sound of people chattering and follow it to the dining room. I get on my knees and lift up the table cloth to see her shaking under the table.

"There you are, Pavia! Come here, would you like to go upstairs?" I pick her up and she rubs her head against my shoulder. As I stand, Mrs. Schafer comes up to me with a boy around my age.

"There you are, Miss Kyrie! This is my nephew, Lance. He's very excited to meet you, aren't you, Lance?" she nudges him, trying to not let me see the move, but I see it anyway.

"This is a pleasure, Miss Kyrie." He holds out his hand to me and Pavia hisses at him.

"Pavia, that's not nice! I'm sorry, she gets nervous around strangers." Then, Lance starts sneezing almost uncontrollably. "Allergic to cats?" he manages to nod and Mrs. Schafer leads him to another part of the dining room as I back out of it. I turn to put Pavia on the stairs, but I notice out of the corner of my eye, Laura with the young man she's in love with. Isaac O'Conner is from our kingdom, and has a job somewhere in town. He's just getting in the door and I overhear him remarking about Laura's dress.

"That is a beautiful dress you are wearing tonight. Allow me?" when she gives him her hand, he slips a holiday-flower bracelet with a silk ribbon over her wrist.

"They're so pretty! Thank you, Isaac. And you look very distinguished this evening." They walk past me and I lift Pavia up, say that she looks distinguished and place her on the steps.

"Now, go up to the playroom. Or would you rather stay with me?" she mews and hops down one step. "OK, but you have to behave. No hissing." I gather her up in my arms again and go back to the Hall giggling a little. After I place Pavia next to the toy cabinet, I get Tealea from where she was and sit next to the tree and play with her and Pavia.


	5. Uncle Drosselmeier's Presents

Chapter 5-Uncle Drosselmeier's Presents

After what seems a very long time, after dinner was served, sparks appear in the entrance to the Hall. Everyone stops what they're doing and looks at the door, which opens and magical fireworks spring out. But a single yellow firework spins in place and circles an old man with an eyepatch over his right eye. The man flings out his cloak and reveals a wonderful clockwork toy castle that was hiding beneath his cloak. I stand, forgetting about Tealea, and rush over to the castle and the old man with Pavia in my arms. Joshua runs over just as I stop and he looks at the moving toy soldiers and not at the castle itself.

"Wow! Look at all of them!" he says and he looks even more animated than he was when he opened his gift from Grandpa, if possible.

"It's beautiful Uncle Drosselmeier." I say as the guests start to crowd behind me. Father and Mother come up behind us and express their gratitude to the gift.

"It was nothing. Your gratitude and pleasure is my reward." Uncle Drosselmeier says. Joshua asks if the toy soldiers can come out. "No, I am afraid that's not possible."

"I kinda wish the swans could fly." Our Godfather shakes his head at me. "But it's beautiful all the same. Thank you."

"Make the soldiers fire their weapons! POW! Bang!"

"No, this is how it was made to work and how it does work." Uncle Drosselmeier says, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh. I can make my soldiers do whatever I want." Then, Joshua does a very rude thing; he turns his back on toy castle and walks back to his soldiers. I hear Father sigh, and Mother signals the musicians to start playing. As they begin, Uncle Drosselmeier pushes a button on the tower, making all movement on and in the castle stop, then rolls it to stand next to the fireplace nearest to the Christmas tree. Since the musicians are playing a song that a couple is able to dance to, not a single person, I leave the Great Hall and sit on a chair in the dining room.

However, Laura and Isaac are in there too; when they hear the music, they decide to go and dance. Sighing, I make my way back into the Great Hall. Avoiding the dancing couples, I make my way to where I left Tealea. I then put her in the Toy Cabinet and notice, out of the corner of my eye, a mysterious box. I turn around, and next to the box that once held Tealea, there was a new box! I pick it up and open it to reveal another doll.

It is apparently a male doll, he has long black hair, green eyes, and he is wearing a green variation of a knight's off duty outfit with black boots and a tall green hat with a black bobble on the top of it. And attached to his belt is a metal sword. When I take him out I find out that he is made of all wood, except the sword.

"Where in the world did you come from?" I hear a snicker, and turn to Uncle Drosselmeier. "You brought him didn't you?"

"Do you like him?" the question takes me by surprise.

"I haven't ever had a doll made of all wood before. But I've never seen this kind of doll either. What is he?"

"A nutcracker, Kyrie. Here, allow me to show you." He takes a walnut from the bowl on the table next to him and places it in the nutcracker's mouth. I give him the doll and he pushes the doll's bound-up hair forward and his mouth cracks the nut shell.

"Lemme try!" Uncle Drosselmeier hands me the doll back and holds out the bowl of walnuts. I take the last one and do exactly what he did. "Thanks, though I don't like walnuts." I smile at the doll, and just for a moment, I see his eyes sparkle. But, before I can question my Godfather, Joshua comes and takes the nutcracker away from me. "Give him back!"

"Now, Kyrie, let Joshua have a turn." Joshua pops the cannon ball from earlier into my nutcracker's mouth.

"I found him, and Joshua always breaks everything I get that he wants!"

"No, I don't!" just as he says that, he breaks off two teeth of my nutcracker with the cannon ball when he tries to break the cannon ball. "Woops, uh-oh. Sorry, Kyrie."

"Give him back, I knew you'd break him!" Joshua gives me the nutcracker back, saying that he isn't even a real solider and he doesn't have a cross bow. I look at the nutcracker and sigh at his injury. "My poor nutcracker."

"There, Kyrie, I will fix him up. But first, let me tell you how he became like this."


	6. Gunther and The Royal Mice

Chapter 6-Günter and the Royal Mice

"Many years ago, Godmother Elena had to turn a Kingdom's Royal Family into mice, for the King and Queen were using their Magic Gifts for their own personal gains. However, their son, Prince James, was born without magic, but he used Blood Magic to achieve the gains his parents were. He did this by sacrificing his personal servants and then their replacements. When Godmother Elena and the other Godmothers found out, they told her to punish them. She had no choice, so she punished them by first taking away the parents' magic and then turning them all into mice. Things were peaceful in this Kingdom for a while, until the new King and Queen and their beautiful but selfish daughter, Princess Mildred, ordered that a blue cheese cake made for the King's birthday." I make a disgusted face at the mention of blue cheese cake. And Uncle Drosselmeier laughs. "But, the new Royal Family had a special Magician and clockmaker working for them, along with his nephew who was the Magician's Apprentice. The lad's name was Günter Drosselmeier and he had just turned fourteen when this all happened."

"But that's your last name!" but he ignores my outburst, and I resolve to not interrupt again.

"While the cooks were making the cake, the long-forgotten Mouse Queen and her son came up to the cooks and demanded the cake. Every mouse in the castle came into the kitchen and began to eat the cake that had just been decorated. The kitchen staff tried to stop them, but one mouse bit anyone who tried, so they just stood in horror as their work was eaten by mice. When the King ordered the cake brought to him, the head of the cooks had to bring the bad news. So, the King then ordered the Magician and his nephew to come up with a way to catch all the mice and put them to death.

"They came up with the mousetrap, and caught every mouse. Except the Mouse Queen and her only son, both of whom crept into Princess Mildred's bedchamber the next night. The Mouse Queen put a spell on the Princess, turning her beauty into ugliness. And the next dawn, the King ordered the Magician to find a way to break the spell within a day, or he would be beheaded."

"That's awful!"

"Yes, but before the dawn of the next day, the Magician found the cure. She had to eat the Crackatooth nut, but only if a young man who had never worn boots could crack the nut with his teeth and give it to her with his eyes closed then take seven steps backwards without stumbling. The King ordered every young nobleman in the Kingdom to come to the palace, take off their shoes and attempt to crack the nut. The one that did would marry the Princess. Everyone but the King, Queen, Magician and Günter were not allowed to look, they were all blindfolded for the Princess was much too ugly to be seen.

"However, none of the young men could crack the nut, and the ones that heard the screams of the others fled. The King then ordered the Magician to be beheaded. But, Günter took off his shoes, put the nut in his mouth, and pulled on his long hair and the nut cracked open. He closed his eyes, went up to Mildred and gave her the nut. She immediately changed back into her beautiful self after eating it. Then, as he was taking the seven steps backwards, the Mouse Queen appeared and put a spell on him. She bit him to make the spell work, but he fell backwards and crushed her by toppling over the statues of the King. He almost crushed her son, but he narrowly escaped and his tail got crushed.

"The son now was the Mouse King, since his mother was dead. But, the spell took effect on young Günter, making him what you see before you now. And though the King had said the one to crack the nut would marry his daughter, he refused to hear his Magician out on how to break the spell on him. And ordered a celebration on the return of his daughter's beauty. The Mouse King then vowed his revenge on the poor boy and the Magician was banished from that Kingdom." When I realize that the story is over, I look at my nutcracker and feel pity for Günter.

"That is a horrible story! The Princess should've helped him or try to help him! Can the spell be broken?" Uncle Drosselmeier nods and says that Günter must kill the Mouse King and win the heart of a fair, young maiden. But he also says that in a way, Günter is a prince. For he is the Prince of the Land of the Dolls. I yawn and cover my mouth. "I'm going to retire. Thank you for the story, and for Günter." I stand to leave, but Damiana comes rushing towards me.


	7. The First Battle of The Great Hall

Chapter 7-The First Battle of the Great Hall

"Is she…?"

"Yes, Mama is with her, please hurry!" I quickly put Günter and Tealea in the Toy Cabinet and follow Damiana up the stairs and into my old playroom. Penny is there, growling at Lavender until she sees me. Then, her eyes go soft and I go over to her.

"Penny, this is Lavender and Damiana, they are my friends, so you should treat them nicely. Are you hungry?" she yips quietly and I ask Lavender to bring me some lamb, or whatever is left from the table. "I'm sorry, I should've waited till you were awake to introduce you to them. And I should've fed you earlier!" but Penny rubs her head against my hand, meaning she forgives me.

"Damiana, come with me, its past your bedtime." The girl sighs, but also yawns and follows her mother out of the playroom. A few minutes later, Thyme comes in with a small tray of cubed raw meat and bowl of water.

"You'd best be off to bed, Miss Kyrie. Most of the guests have left." He says as he puts the tray down in front of the fire place.

"I will, after Penny has eaten." Said wolf cub looks at the meat and water and starts to devour the meat. Thyme leaves after Penny is done and takes the tray and bowl away. Then, I realize that she'll need to relieve herself after that big meal. "Do you need to go outside to relieve yourself, Penny?" but she is already asleep. Sighing, I leave, but I leave the door slightly ajar so Penny can come find me when she's ready to go out.

When I am back in my room, I change out of my clothes into my nightgown and even though I don't feel sleepy, I climb into bed. After about half an hour, Sapphire comes in and convinces me to get out of bed so she can unbind my hair. Once that is done, she bids me goodnight and leaves me alone again. I sit on the edge of my bed, covers down so I can climb back in and go to sleep, but my mind is whirring with activity. _Günter…that's pronounced 'Gunther' in this Kingdom, I think._ In my mind, I picture the story of the Nutcracker named Günter and how he came to be. _I wonder why the Mouse King wants Gunther dead, it can't just be because of his tail…that wasn't Gunther's fault, it was the Mouse Queen's!_ But as I think this, I hear faint music coming from the hallway.

 _Huh…Why the musicians are practicing at this time of night?_ When my feet hit the carpet, I grab a pair of stockings and the nearest pair of shoes. After I put them on, I open my door quietly and leave my room to follow the mysterious music. Along the way, I put my chestnut brown hair in two braids, tying them with green ribbons while making as little noise as possible.

I reach the Great Hall, where I expected the musicians to be, but the stage is empty. _I must be dreaming._ I pinch myself, and then stifle a yelp in my throat. Then I spot the Toy Cabinet, where the music seems to be coming from. As I move towards it, the music seems to become more vibrant with each step, but strangely it doesn't get any louder. I open the Cabinet doors and the music suddenly stops with a special flourish that I've only heard used at the Wool Guild Balls.

"Well, that music was beautiful, but the way it seemed to come from here was weird!" I say this quietly to the dolls in the Cabinet. I then take Gunther out and place him on the vanity desk next to the mirror nearest the Christmas tree. "I'm Kyrie. I am very sorry about what my idiotic brother did to you, Prince Gunther. Joshua can be very…rough with any toy he gets his hands on. I hope…no, I know that my Godfather, Christian Drosselmeier, will fix you." I curtsy to the doll. I look up and there is the sparkle in his eyes again. Before I can ask the doll what that sparkle means, Pavia rubs her body against my legs, making me almost fall on top of her. I catch myself, thankfully without hurting the kitten, and look up at Gunther apologetically. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I can't promise it won't happen again, since in this Manor, I have a kitten and a new pet wolf cub. …huh?" I can almost hear a voice in my head, speaking to me. A _male voice_ , but not too deep.

 _"_ _It is alright, Miss Kyrie. Would you introduce me to the other dolls and toys in your home?"_

"Is that you, Prince Gunther?! And…of course, I'll introduce you to the others in your kingdom!" I get up, reeling a little from what happened, and pick up Tealea from her place in the Toy Cabinet. "This is Tealea, I just got her earlier this night." I make the doll bow to her ruler. After I put her back, I take out my oldest doll, Clariea. "This is Clariea, she's been with me since I was little. She's very wise. And kind when she wants to be, though she doesn't let it show often." I put her back gently and just as gently pick up Ernest, Joshua's only oldest toy soldier left from his first set of soldiers. "This is Ernest, Joshua doesn't play with him anymore, mostly because the poor man is a bit stiff. Too many battles, but he still tries. And his left leg does very silly things." I laugh a little as I move the left leg of the toy. I then put Ernest back on his ledge carefully. "I would let you see the other, newer toy soldiers, but Joshua would get mad at me for even touching his toys." I smile at the Prince of Dolls again.

 _"_ _Thank you, Miss Kyrie. I am sure all of his soldiers will follow my orders. And your toys will be serve me faithfully. Would you care to dance?"_ music starts up again, but it's more like dancing music. I nod at the doll and take him in my hands. We dance for two rounds of the music before Pavia comes running up to us, Penny right behind her.

"I'm sorry, Prince Gunther, I have to let Penny out to relieve herself." His only response is a sparkle in his eye again and I place him back in the cabinet. "C'mon, Penny, let's get you out." But she doesn't move, in fact, she starts growling. It is then that I notice a swirl of magic dust go around the owl-topped grandfather clock near the toy castle. And the owl becomes Uncle Drosselmeier!

"Uncle Drosselmeier?! What in the world are you doing on top of the clock?!" he only smirks at me, opens his hands and blows magic dust in two directions, one towards the Toy Cabinet, the other everywhere else. "What are you doing? You're starting to scare me!" but what comes next scares me even more. I resist the urge to scream as hundreds of mice come out of the fireplace, led by a mouse with a golden crown on his head!

"Well, my mice army, let's get to the destruction of the Nutcracker!" I immediately run to the cabinet, willing to risk my life for Prince Gunther. But, all the toys are ALIVE!

"Please, Your Highness, you must fight to protect your kingdom!" Clareia says, trying to convince the Nutcracker to go to battle.

"Is there not another way?"

"Oh, come now! You'd rather make Kyrie lose her life for you?!" Tealea says in a sassy tone.

"No, I will not let Miss Kyrie even risk her life for me and my kingdom." He climbs down the jump rope that Tealea and Clareia hold.

"Everyone in the Toy Cabinet, we must defend ourselves against the Mouse King and his evil mice army!" all the soldiers cheer 'Hail Prince Günter!' and as the Mice Army advances, Prince Gunther asks Ernest to be commander of the cavalry.

"Commander?!" he asks as he climbs down.

"Ernest, you are the only one here with the most experience. I will be counting on you." They salute each other and Prince Gunther tells the soldiers to get in their battle positions. "Ready? Aim and fire!" the Nutcracker shouts when the Mice Army is close enough. Most of the mice get knocked down by the fake arrows, and I giggle, but when the Mouse King advances on Gunther from his blind spot, I can't help but cry out.

"Prince Gunther!" he pulls out his own sword and deflects the Mouse King's. They engage in a battle, but it is obvious that the Mouse King has the upper hand. Then, the Nutcracker Prince trips, loses his sword and just before the ugly Mouse King can raise his sharp sword, I take off my slipper and throw it at him. This knocks him away from the prince and into the coals of the fireplace.

"HOT! HOT!" he shouts after he lands. "MY TAIL IS ON FIRE!" he runs away from the fireplace and I trip over Pavia as I back away, hitting the back of my head on the edge of the Toy Cabinet. _Please, let Prince Gunther be alright…_ that is my last thought before the dark overcomes my senses.


End file.
